Georgetown – HUSKY NATION

Observations on UConn’s Win Against Georgetown: An Unforgettable Offense, the Front Line Continues to Own, and Hawkins Comes Alive

It’s fun to watch offenses dominate in all facets of the game, isn’t it? More than anything else, that’s the observation to take away from UConn’s 96-73 beatdown of Georgetown on Tuesday night at Gampel. It was one of the Huskies most complete wins of the season, and ultimately by several metrics one of the best offensive games any D-1 team has had this season and one of the five best by the program since 2002. The game also again showcased the impressive chemistry and joy the team has displayed in January. One thing is certainly clear: UConn has absolutely owned Georgetown since returning to the Big East.

The UConn offense was firing on all cylinders from the get go as they pushed the pace off Georgetown turnovers and missed shots and found Adama Sanago for open shots in the paint. Sanago opened the game with a dunk off a beautiful pass with Andre Jackson, who then had a spectacular fastbreak dunk a few possessions later. After Georgetown called its first timeout following a layup by Tyrese Martin, the Huskies began to expand their shooting range. With the help of some crisp passing, Akok Akok, Jordan Hawkins and Tyler Polley made consecutive three pointers (all assisted open), to push UConn’s lead to 28-19 with 9:28 remaining in the first half. Each trey was taken before the Hoyas defense could get set to challenge the shot.

Even as UConn was hitting everything however, Georgetown was doing a good job of keeping pace with them offensively, scoring 15 consecutive points on 3-pointers, two by Donald Carey to cut the deficit to 36-31 with 4:54 to go. The Hoyas were on fire from deep the entire first half, shooting 8-13. The defense did a poor job rotating and did not sufficiently challenge 3-pointers despite this being by far Georgetown’s biggest offensive strength.

In the last five minutes of the half the Huskies again put some distance between them and the Hoyas. Whaley scored multiple baskets off of offensive rebounds and UConn scored multiple second-chance points, taking advantage of quality ball pressure and loose handles by Georgetown players. Polley ended the half by making all his free throws after being fouled on a three to give the Huskies a 52-40 halftime lead. Martin scored 12 points in the half and his team had 11 points off turnovers. Still, the Hoyas managed to stay in the game by shooting 53.3%, with Aminu Mohammed dominating UConn inside and out to score 13.

Both offenses started slow in the second half as the game became more physical and there were unforced turnovers. UConn missed multiple shots around the rim and Georgetown struggled from the perimeter. The Huskies slowly stretched out their lead, and a fastbreak dunk and putback by Whaley putback gave him 13 points and made it 62-46 with 13:37 to go. Eventually, an open 3-pointer by Hawkins off a pass by Gaffney put the Huskies up 69-52 just before the 12-minute mark. They eventually figured out how to break the press the Hoyas started the half with to get quick shots, and focused on attacking the paint and scoring at the rim. Meanwhile, the defense, led by Whaley, did a much better job of challenging shots and rebounding at the rim to start the half and benefited from Georgetown finally getting cold from the outside.

Over the next few minutes UConn slowly built its lead. The got a great open look for Hawkins out of a timeout and he drained the three to push the lead to 20 points. Sanago then took over with six consecutive paints deep in the paint, with the final two baskets coming on pinpoint passes by Jackson from the top of the key, extending UConn’s run to 12-0, which lasted just over three minutes. During this run, the Huskies kept the Hoyas out of the paint as they missed jumper after jumper.

After a couple of baskets by Georgetown, UConn went on one last run with 7:48 to go. Sanago had a putback before it scored four points with the help of a flagrant foul, with the 9-1 run ending on a beautiful 3-pointer by Cole. The Huskies extended their lead over 30 in the final minutes as both teams emptied their benches and the Hoyas went on a scoring spree to make the final score look closer than the game was.

UConn ultimately shot exactly 50% and 41.7% 10-24) and 78.3% (18-23) from the free throw line, and the offense as a whole scored 1.45.9 points per possession. This was the best PPP mark by any team in the country this season and Five players (Sanago, Whaley, Hawkins, Cole, Martin) scored at least 13 points, with Sanago leading the way with 19 and Whaley and Hawkins tying season highs with 15. Sanago had 18 points and 8 rebounds as well as 2 blocks and steals. Whaley went for 15 and 7 and Martin 14 and 8. Cole added 7 assists and 6 rebounds, and Jackson had five dimes. Hawkins went 4-7 from three. UConn had 21 assists to 7 turnovers and 27 fast-break points, it’s best number against high major competition. It had 19 offensive rebounds to Georgetown’s 12 and outrebounded them 40-28 in total.

Georgetown shot 4% and 11-21 from three. Mohammed had 15 points and 7 rebounds and shot 3-4 from deep and Colin Holloway and Donald Carey put up 11 and 10, each making two threes. After a poor defensive effort in the first half, UConn held the Hoyas to 37% shooting in the second half. Led by Whaley, they defended much better around the rim and rebound better, and improved their rotations on the perimeter, allowing the Huskies to consistently contest outside shots. They had 6 blocks and 5 steals.

There are a lot of fun thoughts to take from UConn’s win against Georgetown. Here are a few significant observations I experienced.

UConn Has Legendary Offensive Performance

I’ve already gone through most of the remarkable offensive numbers, from the 1.45 points per possession (one of the best program marks this century) to having five players score in double digits and eight at least five to the shooting splits (50%/41.7%/78.3%). In addition, every player who played more than five minutes had an offensive rating over 100 on KenPom. Even without these numbers however, any fan watching could see this performance represented all of UConn’s players at their very situational best.

The players did an outstanding job of moving the ball and attacking the defense off of turnovers and missed shots. UConn’s acclaimed offensive depth was completely on display, from Hawkins (and Akok’s) ability to be a sharpshooter off the bench to Sanago and Whaley’s ability to dominate in the paint and on the board to Martin’s versatility on both ends to Cole and a lesser extent Jackson’s ability to beat defenders and create plays. At their best, there are so many ways the Huskies can score that a team can only contain them so much. That’s even more true when they are avoiding turnovers and unforced errors, as the team has mostly done the last few games.

Adama Sanago and Isiah Whaley Continue to be a Potent Duo

Sanago continued to be a dominant force against Big East opponents, scoring 19 points in just 23 minutes due to foul trouble. The Georgetown defenders were helpless to stop Sanago when he established good position, as he shot 8-14 and 3-4 from the line. The sophomore also showed off his athleticism with a fastbreak dunk, passed well out of double teams and played solid defense, earning two blocks. Sanago is now averaging 18.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in the past five games, and no Big East team has shown they can contain him when Sanago is healthy.

While Sanago is the big man who aways looks smooth, Whaley is currently doing the dirty work. After a tough stretch where he underperformed and dealt with health and injury issues, Whaley has averaged 13 points and 8.5 rebounds in the past two games while shooting 12-20. He is currently doing a great job of boxing out defenders and grabbing offensive rebounds for easy putbacks. Whaley was by far UConn’s most effective defender against Georgetown and did a great job of altering shots and grabbing defensive rebounds. Whaley’s energy and leadership ability seems like it is returning to the level Husky fans are used to. If he can continue to be a high-quality defender while getting his outside shot going again, Whaley will be even harder to stop.

Jordan Hawkins is the Microwave Man

The freshman who came in with big expectations has had a very topsy-turvy year, marked by confidence issues and inconsistent ball handling and shooting. As UConn has gotten deeper into Big East play however, Hawkins is finally starting to show the offensive skills fans were expecting from him. After demonstrating the ability to score in the paint against Butler, Hawkins finally came alive beyond the arc against Georgetown by going 4-7 from three to help the Huskies pull away. Hawkins 3-point shot has usually looked very smooth even when he is off, but recently it appears that he is doing a better job of moving without the ball and getting open opportunities with his feet set. When you combine his abilities from deep with his quality free throw shooting and ability to beat defenders at the rim, Hawkins can provide instant offense off the bench. Hawkins also avoided any turnovers against the hoyas, a issue that has plagued him all season.

Like a lot of talented freshmen, Hawkins has shown a lot of inconsistency and been unable to record multiple strong games in a row (he was scoreless in the second game against Butler). The Georgetown win has a great one for him to build on, as it was the best he’s shot from three in a long time and Hawkins avoided turnovers and played solid defense. After strong performances in two of the last three games, I would hope that he can build some momentum and at least begin shooting well from deep game to game. It’s clear that Hurley and his teammates will do their best to put Hawkins in a position to succeed, as they have been emphasizing playing better defense and working on his ball-handling technique. Now it is on Hawkins to fulfill his promise as UConn begins playing tougher teams.

Observations on win against Georgetown: UConn has unforgettable offensive performance, everyone chips in, and defense shows up in first half

Going into Saturday’s contest against Georgetown, UConn was determined to avoid a letdown of any kind. It needed a win to ensure a berth in the NCAA tournament, and wanted one last regular season opportunity to show just how good the Huskies could be in front of a national television audience. Danny Hurley certaintly emphasized this to players, reminding them again and again leading up to the game to not relax and let up in any way.

Well, guess what? Hurley and the fans had nothing to worry about. On Senior Day, UConn came out and absolutely blasted the Hoyas off the floor in the first few minutes and never let off on the offensive end, and their defense in the first half was outstanding as well. The Huskies grabbed an astounding 51-24 lead at halftime, the largest deficit the program has led at halftime in more than a decade. They then cruised in the second half even as the defense slipped, ultimately winning 98-82. UConn improved to 14-6 and 11-6 in the Big East, its fourth consecutive win and six in seventh games This locked up third place in the Big East for it. Georgetown ended the regular season 9-12 and 7-9 in conference, which ended up being eighth.

Six players ultimately scored in double figures for the Huskies, led by James Bouknight with 21 and Jalen Gaffney with 15. Tyrese Martin, Isiah Whaley, Tyler Polley and Adama Sanogo each were in double figures as well, and Sanogo had a double-double with 10 rebounds R.J. Cole struggled to score but dished out eight assists. UConn shot 59.3% and 12-28 from three, good for 42.9%. The 12 threes were a season high, as were the 51 first-half points. The 98 points were the most the program has scored in a conference game since the 104 the 2016 squad put up against Cincinatti in the AAC tournament quarterfinals. The Huskies also won the rebounding battle and had more assists and blocks than Georgetown.

UConn established its dominance from the opening tip. They sprinted out to a 15-2 lead and made six of its first seven shots while holding the Hoyas scoreless for the first 3:30. Bouknight scored eight out of these points, knocking down two gorgeous 3-pointers and making a dunk. Whaley was also strong early, making a wide-open 3-pointer and scoring five points. The defense immediately made its presence felt. It consistently challenged shots in the paint and guarded the passing lanes well, forcing turnovers and generally making it difficult for Georgetown to move the ball and find open shots.

As the half went on, the Huskies began to get help from others besides just Bouknight and Whaley. Gaffney went off, making four consecutive baskets for 1o points to give them a 33-16 lead with 7:21 left in the half. Both of Gaffney’s threes as well as a dunk were assisted on by Cole. Gaffney used his athleticism to beat defenders going to the basket and moved well without the ball on the perimeter to hit his open threes. Martin and Josh Carlton would each end the first half strong. Martin hit multiple jumpers and did a great job finishing around the rim, ultimately making five of his six 2-pointers on the day. Carlton finished around the rim and at the line and scored seven points in the half. Throughout the first half, the Huskies did an outstanding job of pushing the tempo, sharing and handling the ball and taking intelligent shots.

UConn struggled with foul trouble at times in the first half at times but was still extremely effective, limiting Georgetown to 30% shooting and not allowing any 3-pointers. Half of the Hoyas points came at the free throw line. Throughout the half, Sanogo (who finished with two blocks), Carlton and Whaley defended the paint well and altered shots, while the Huskies guards and Martin played tight defense on Georgetown’s guards and forwards and forced costly turnovers that continuisly led to fastbreak baskets, while also denying these players on the perimeter.

In the second half, both offenses were on fire and played fast and loose, while the defenses appeared disengaged for much of the final 20 minutes. UConn scored 47 but the Hoyas outscored it by 11. The Huskies continued to get scoring from a number of players and moved and rebounded the ball well, while Georgetown attacked the basket effectively and finally began to get going on the peremiter. The Hoyas hit eight of 13 threes after not making one in the first half, with Jhavon Blair going 4-5 and Chudier Bile 3-3 from behind the arc. I am sure Hurley will harp on UConn’s defensive performance in the second half leading up to the Big East tournament.

The Huskies offense was great in every area. They scored 32 points in the paint and 17 fastbreak points and outrebounded Georgetown 35-26. 11 players ended up scoring for UConn. All the seniors had solid days, as Whaley finished 11 points and went a perfect 5-5 from the field, Polley had 11 and hit three 3-pointers, and Carlton had seven points and rebounds in 13 minutes. Seven players had multiple assists, with Cole having the aforementioned eight and Andre Jackson three.

Georgetown ultimately shot 46.6% for the game and went 20-25 from the line. Blair led it with 22 points, and Qudus Whab had 16 points and seven rebounds on 7-11 shooting and Bile 15. Dante Harris earned six assists and Bile three steals. The Hoyas finished with 13 turnovers to 11 assists. They entered the game having won four of five contests.

As of Monday night, UConn was ranked 23rd on KenPom and considered a lock for the NCAA tournament by nearly all prognasticators. The team is a trendy pick to win the Big East tournament after injuries to Villanova, and after Saturday’s decisive win it is clear the Huskies are playing their best basketball of the season. They will face the winner of the first round contest between No. 6. Providence and No. 11 DePaul in the Big East quarterfinals on Thursday. If the players can continue to stay focused and execute at a high level, there is no telling what the ceiling is for this team.

Below are my game observations on the win against Georgetown:

The team functions as a complete unit

There’s no doubt that UConn is defined by James Bouknight, and to a lesser extent Cole. However, myself and other observers have harped on how important the team’s depth is to its success, and this win was a perfect illustration of that. While Bouknight helped get the offense going at the start of the game, his teammates immediately got involved themselves in either scoring or setting up opportunities (as in the case of Cole and Jackson). Martin was more efficient and aggressive on the offensive end after going scoreless in the previous game, and Gaffney built upon some recent promising play. He did not hesitate at all when open and made a variety of shots, going 6-6 from the field. This was tied for Gaffney’s second-highest scoring game of the year. The only player who went scoreless was Andrew Hurley, who played less than a minute.

As discussed above, UConn kept its foot on the pedal on offense even after getting its large early lead and refrained from playing one-on-one basketball, with players instead constantly getting their teammates involved. Combine that with outstanding shooting from a number of players and good ball handling, and the Huskies had a recipe for running up the score.

That gang mentality and depth was seen on the bards and defense as well. While Sanogo and Carlton took on the rebounding load, 10 different players grabbed a board and six had multiple rebounds. The defensive performances were great in the first half, with the guards setting the tone by the turnovers they helped cause and the big men through the shots they either blocked or altered. Some of the Husky defenders are raw or inconsistent, but neither all of them have become better over the course of the season and showed their skills in that half.

The ability of multiple players besides Bouknight to step up on either end of the floor will be very valuable in the Big East tournament. While I expect Bouknight to play very well in the tournament, all the teams will be keying in on him and do their best to limit the sophomore’s scoring opportunities. There will be opportunities for others, and if they can pick up the scoring load then UConn will be able to win the championship as long as the defense plays at a high level. I look forward to seeing if the Husky players can come through in this manner on that stage.

UConn finally got off to an excellent start

Throughout the season, the Huskies have more often than not fallen behind early in games, a habit that has continued even during the team’s strong recent performances. That was why it was so rewarding to see UConn blow Georgetown out of the water early and establish that they had control of the game early in the first half. While the Hoyas don’t exactly have a great defense, the Huskies executed well enough that there was no chance at a Georgetown comeback when combined with UConn’s strong defense. It needs to start its conference tournament games with that same killer intensity to maintain momentum.

The seniors all have the Senior Day they deserve

Isiah Whaley, Tyler Polley and Josh Carlton certainly haven’t had a regular senior year. After having had their junior seasons cut short by the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, the trio have had to deal with the game and practice schedules being affected heavily by the pandemic, injuries to teammates as well as themselves, and various struggles on the court. Each of them had memorable performances on Senior Day in front of their families and friends while leading UConn to the win. Whaley had 11 points and shot 5-5, Polley scored 11 and hit three 3-pointers, and Carlton had an excellent first half and put up seven points and rebounds. Whether any of them return for a fifth year or not, they have given a ton to the program and shown a lot of loyalty and development. I am so happy they will have the opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament.

Jalen Gaffney shows his offensive abilities

Over the last few games, Gaffney has shown brief flashes of his athleticism and offensive skills. That all came together against Georgetown. The sophomore showed a great stroke from deep and was smart when taking the ball to the basket, and again demonstrated that he can beat any guard defending him using his strength and speed. While Gaffney has dhown over the course of the season that he is better when playing off ball, he also did an efficient job of running the offense when filling in for Cole at point, and had multiple assists for the second time in three games. Gaffney still has a long way to go to become a quality defender, but he should be able to be a valuable offensive piece in the conference and NCAA tournaments in the right situations. He just needs to continue to take those opportunities and not shy away from them.

UConn is establishing itself as a threat in tournament play and a darling of writers

With Bouknight the Huskies are 10-2, and since the second half in their first game at Georgetown on Feb. 23rd they have outscored opponents by 59 points. They are playing great on offense since his return and nearly as good on defense. As alreadt mentioned, UConn was ranked 23rd in KenPom as of Monday night and have also shot up in NET and other ranking systems. It seems like every progranasticator is picking the team to win the Big East tournament after the issues Villanova and Creighton are experiencing, and it seems feasable the Huskies could be a seven seed in the NCAA tournament if they win in the Big East quarterfinals and even higher if they win in the semifinals or the whole tournament. I certainly expect UConn to win at least one game in the Big tournament and have a shot at winning it outright, although I feel they could have a harder path than people believe right now. I will maintain the same stance I have had for a while: If the Huskies play at their highest level, they can beat anyone, even a No. 1 seed.

Observations on win against Georgetown: RJ Cole has signature game, UConn dominates boards, and team has great second half

During the halftime break in Tuesday’s game against Georgetown, I joined many other Husky fans in eviscirating the team. After watching the team play an ugly 15 minutes of basketball after a great start and go into halftime down one, I attacked the team’s lack of discipline and asked where the player’s passion was. Little did I know that UConn was going to play one of its best halves of the season.

After going into halftime down 26-25, the Huskies got it together on offense early in the second half. In the last 13:51, they outscored the Hoyas 30-16 and went on to win 70-57. The win improved UConn to 11-6 and 8-6 in the Big East, and insured the team would firmly stay on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. Georgetown dropped to 7-11 and 5-8 in conference.

After inconsistent first halfs, the duo of Cole and James Bouknight were outstanding in the second half. The pair each scored 14 points in the half, with Cole shooting 7-9. The redshort junior had his best all-around game of the season, scoring 17 points and disching out steven assists to go with six steals. Cole did not commit a turnover. Bouknight finished with 20 points on 8-17 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. UConn shot 56.3% in the second half.

The Huskies had an outstanding start to the game and went into the first TV timeout leading 12-2. After that, everything changed. UConn went into a shooting funk for the remainder of the first half and went scoreless for seven minutes at one point. It missed a number of open shots and second-chance opportunities, while also rushing contested shots. The Huskies were reckless with the ball and ultimatelly committed 11 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

While UConn rebounded and defended very well, Georgetown was able to get the ball inside and reach the free throw line, making nine of 11 shots at the charity shots. Timothy Ighoefe made a 3-pointer on the Hoyas last shot of the half to put them up 26-25 going into the locker room.

After their poor offensive play in the second half, both teams started the second half playing well on that end. Led by Cole and Bouknight, UConn began to move the ball and shoot well and attacked the rim. Georgetown did the same, with the Huskies defenders out of position on multiple posssessions. With 10:54 remaining, the squads were tied at 44.

From then on, it was all UConn. While the Huskies struggled from behind the arc, they hit shots from everywhere else. Cole was the catalyst, knocking down jumpers and tough shots in the paint while also creating good scoring opportunities for teammates. After being quiet for most of the first half, Bouknight was much more aggressive in the second half and made some spectacular plays, including a dunk off an alley-oop pass from Cole. Almost everyone else got in on the action at points, and UConn continued to dominate the boards and handled the ball better, committing just three turnovers in the second half.

The Huskies were much more disciplined on defense in the second half. They continued to challenge shots behind the arc and defended the paint better while mostly avoiding fouling. UConn also benefited from Georgetown missing a lot of open shots. The Hoyas would ultimately finishing the game having shot just 35.8% and 4-19 from three.

UConn finished the game shooting 45.5% despite going just 2-11 from three. In addition to the 37 combined points from Bouknight and Cole, Sanogo and Whaley had strong all-around games. Sanogo had eight points and seven rebounds (three offensive) along with two blocks in 21 minutes, and Whaley had seven points and rebounds (six offensive) and two blocks in 21 minutes. Martin had eight points and five rebounds. Andre Jackson and Jalen Gaffney continued to struggle. Jackson went scoreless in 13 minutes and committed three turnovers, while Gaffney scored just three points and did not have an assist in 10 minutes. Qudus Wahab had an excellent game for Georgetown, earning a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Huskies ability to win 50-50 balls and impressive effort when going after loose balls is reflected in the game’s rebounding and turnover numbers. Despite Georgetown having the best rebounding numbers in the Big East entering the game, UConn won the rebounding battle 46-30 and recorded 18 offensive rebounds to the Hoyas nine. Five players grabbed at least five rebounds for the Huskies. They had eight steals and helped force Georgetown to commit 15 turnovers, with five of its players recording multiple turnovers.

The win moved UConn up to 35th in the KenPom rankings, and they are now 32nd in the rankings as of Thursday night. If the team can win all its four remaining games this should gurantee them a berth in the NCAA tournament, and three wins should be enough, especially if the Huskies can win one or two games in the Big East tournament.

Here are my observations on the win against Georgetown:

Cole takes on a aleadership role

While Cole avoided the ball-handling and sloppiness issues that many of his teammates experienced in the first half, he still struggled to shoot the ball, going 1-7. Cole missed open shots frommidrange and also rushed shots. It looked like he could be on the way to having a similar performance to his showing against Villanova, where Cole went 2-10 and had just two assists.

The R.J. Cole that appeared in the second half was a completely different player. Cole went 6-8 from the field for 14 points and dished out four assists. He used his pull-up jumper to catch defenders off guard and beat defenders at the rim despite the height disaprity between him and the Hoya guards. Cole was able to find teammates inside and on the perimeter for good scoring opportunities, and avoided waiting until late in the shot clock to start running the offense. Most importantly, Cole clearly took on a leadership role on the floor, helping to lead conversations in the huddle and constantly communicating with teammates on offense. Hurley said after the game that he was proud of Cole’s play, and it was clear his teammates were as well.

A few weeks ago, Dan Hurley pulled Cole out of the starting lineup to insert the message that ne needed to improve his play and effort level. Since then, he has been a different player. Cole has averaged 16 points and recorded a 21-4 assist to turnover ratio over the last four games while adding nine steals, and seized the starting role back from Gaffney. He has run the offense at a quicker pace and helped to take advantage of fastbreak opportunities, and it’s clear that he and Bouknight play very well off of one another. Cole established himself as the team leader by holding a player’s only meeting after the loss to Providence in which the team discussed how each player could fill their roles better, and he has only built on that leadership role since. It took a while, but Cole is finally meeting the expectations for him coming into the season.

UConn returns to controlling the boards

The Huskies have been a very strong rebounding team over the course of the season, and are currently second in the Big East in offensive rebounds per game (12.5) and third in total rebounds (36.9). However, they had not been quite as effective on the boards recently, and had not won the rebounding battle in most losses. With Georgetown as the best rebounding team in the Big East, it was essential that UConn beat the Hoyas on the boards to gurantee a win.

The Huskies didn;t just outrebound Georgetown: it obliterated them. They had 46 rebounds to the Hoyas 30 and snatched 18 offensive boards. The players did an excellent job of boxing out and outhusted Georgetown’s players to many long rebounds, especially on the offensive end. Even if UConn’s rebounding prowess did not lead to many second-chance points (nine), it allowed them to control the tempo and get great fastbreak opportunities. The guards got in on the action as well as the bigs, earning 21 boards. The team’s rebounding numbers reflected their hustle and aggressiveness throughout the game. UConn will need to continue to control the boards to go undefeated the rest of the regular season.

UConn has their best defensive performance in a long time

Georgetown is not a great offensive team, far from it. However, the Hoyas entered the game playing much better defense than early in the season. They scored 78 and 81 points in their wins against Butler and Seton Hall, and had put up more then 70 in four of their five previous games. UConn quickly ended the team’s offensive resurgence. The defense did an excellent job of challenging 3-point shots and altering ones around the rin, and frequently got back on defense even after committing turnovers. By doing so and then avoiding silly fouls in the second half, the Huskies eventually wore down Georgetown. While they struggled to stop Wahab, they did an excellent job on the team’s other top players. Jhavon Blair shot just 1-5 from three and finished with just nine points, and Jhamorko Pickett went just 3-12 from the field. The Hoyas missed a lot of open shots, but UConn still deserves praise for its defensive effort.

Sanogo and Whaley return to owning the paint

At times this season, Sanogo and Whaley have been a very effective duo. In the three games leading up to the matchup with Georgetown, however, they each had played very inconsistently. When UConn needed them to step up against Georgetown, they met the challenge.

Sanogo had not played up to the level they established in late January and early February in the aftorementioned games, scoring a combined 14 points and averaging four rebounds while dealing with foul trouble. Against the Hoyas, UConn fed him the ball more and Sanogo took advantage, working around multiple defenders on his way to eight points on 4-7 shooting. The freshman did an excellent job on the boards in 21 minutes, grabbing three offensive boards and seven in total. He was able to anticipate rebound opportunities well and consistently beat Georgetown players to balls. Sanogo also earned two blocks, and did a better job of avoiding foul trouble than normal, picking up just three. If Sanogo is able to stay on the floor, he is capable of having strong games against the remaining schedule. Sanogo played well in the Huskies first game against Seton Hall.

Whaley was still blocking shots at a great rate before Tuesday’s game, but the senior had only scored five or more points against one opponent (Xavier) and recently had not had big rebounding games outside of the win against the Musketeers. Like Sanogo, Whaley had also struggled with foul trouble. Against Georgetown, he was extremely effective on both ends of the floor. Whaley was outstanding on the offensive boards, recording six, and had seven total. While he missed multiple putbacks, Whaley still finished with stevn points on 3-6 shooting. He also finished with two blocks, and helped alter many shots. Whaley was all over the place and played with a ton of energy every moment he was on the floor, and it was clear his teammates were feeding of of this. If Whaley continues to play with that some level of passion, he will have a big impact on the team even if he doesn’t score a ton of points.